The Galapagos Archipelago is situated 800 kilometers west
of the Ecuadorian coast and lie directly on the equator. The archipelago encompasses over
50 islands of volcanic origin that are spread out over an area of about 4,500 square
kilometers. The volcanic Galapagos platform originated probably not more than 15 million
years ago and the oldest island not more than 2.4 million years ago. Volcanic eruptions
still occur in the islands. Isla Fernandina and the Sierra Negra volcano on Isla Isabela
have erupted within the past 10 years.

According to legend... the Inca Tupac Yupanqui
set sail from the coast of Ecuador in the late 1400's with 20,000 men on balsa rafts. On
his journey he discovered and named two islands - Ava Chumbi (Outer Island) and Nina
Chumbi (Fire Island) . Some historians believe these islands were the Galapagos.

In 1535, a Spanish captain, Thomas de Berlanga rediscovered
the Galapagos archipelago.

Puerto Viejo — April 26, 1535:
"The ship sailed with very good breezes for seven days, and the
pilot kept near land and we had a six-day calm; the currents were so
strong and engulfed us in such a way that on
Wednesday, the tenth of March, we sighted an island; and, as on board
there was enough water for only two more days, they agreed to lower
the life-boat and go on land for water and grass for the horses. And
once out, they found nothing but seals, and turtles and such big
tortoises that each could carry a man on top of himself, and many
iguanas that are like serpents."

1794 Map of the Galapagos Islands

They were later used by Spanish and English buccaneers,
whaling fleets, and fur sealers.

USS Essex in Galapagos c. 1813
The Essex was sent to Galapagos to destroy the British whaling fleet during the
War of 1812

Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835 and made them famous in Origin of
Species.

Charles Darwin

"SEPTEMBER 15th. -- This archipelago
consists of ten principal islands, of which five exceed the others in
size. They are situated under the Equator, and between five and six
hundred miles westward of the coast of America. They are all formed of
volcanic rocks; a few fragments of granite curiously glazed and altered
by the heat, can hardly be considered as an exception. Some of the
craters, surmounting the larger islands, are of immense size, and they
rise to a height of between three and four thousand feet. Their flanks
are studded by innumerable smaller orifices. I scarcely hesitate to
affirm, that there must be in the whole archipelago at least two
thousand craters.

The archipelago is a little world within
itself, or rather a satellite attached to America, whence it has derived
a few stray colonists, and has received the general character of its
indigenous productions. Considering the small size of the islands, we
feel the more astonished at the number of their aboriginal beings, and
at their confined range. Seeing every height crowned with its crater,
and the boundaries of most of the lava- streams still distinct, we are
led to believe that within a period geologically recent the unbroken
ocean was here spread out.

H.M.S. Beagle

Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be
brought somewhat near to that great fact -- that mystery of mysteries --
the first appearance of new beings on this earth."

- Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

A scientific collection
expedition of The California Academy of Sciences in 1906 also helped bring the
Galapagos to attention of scientists and the public. Galapagos National Park was
established in 1959 to protect the unique flora and fauna of the islands. That
same year the Charles Darwin Research Station was founded in Academy Bay on Isla Santa
Cruz. In 1979, the Galapagos Islands were declared a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO.

In order to protect the islands
and their unique flora and
fauna, the National Park and Darwin Station established visitor sites on most of the
islands to limit visitor impact. All visitors to the national park must be accompanied by
a licensed Galapagos naturalist guide and must remain on designated trails or within the
visitor sites. Guides are included as crew members on all tour ships, boats and yachts
operating in the islands to interpret the natural and human history and to enforce
national park regulations.

The Giant Galapagos Tortoise on the rim
of Alcedo Volcano in
September, 1979.

The best way to learn about the islands is with
a guide aboard one of these boats. Our online
"Galapagos Guided Tour" features professional quality photographs
and stories from the experiences of our real-life Galapagos Naturalist
Guide...